# A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012)

> A newly qualified doctor is posted alone to an impoverished Russian village, where idealism meets harsh rural medicine and a growing morphine habit.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/42839

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Kenton Allen
- Network: Sky Arts
- Cast: Jon Hamm, Daniel Radcliffe, Adam Godley, Vicki Pepperdine, Rosie Cavaliero, Shaun Pye, Tim Steed, Neil Edmond
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2164430/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, darkly comic, atmospheric, bleak, wry

## What critics say

Viewers broadly find the series a dark, atmospheric and darkly funny portrait of a young rural doctor's isolation and addiction, with its lead performance and mood drawing praise.

## Synopsis

A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012-2013) is a British dark comedy period drama created by Kenton Allen for Sky Arts, a two-season run of eight short episodes. Daniel Radcliffe plays a newly qualified doctor, fresh from a top medical school in Moscow, who is posted alone to an impoverished village in the Russian countryside, where he is the only physician for miles. Jon Hamm appears as his older self, the disillusioned doctor looking back on those years, while Adam Godley plays the veteran feldsher whose folk remedies and rough manners test the young man's textbook training. Each episode is built from the daily grind of rural medicine: difficult births, primitive equipment, patients who arrive too late, and a constant struggle to stay sane. The protagonist's wish to be a good doctor collides with the cold reality of the isolated provinces, and his growing dependence on morphine becomes the central thread. Set in the early twentieth century, the show is a bleak, atmospheric period piece, yet its mordant humour and cosy moments give it a wry, melancholic warmth. Fans of The Knick, Call the Midwife and Breaking Bad will find resonance in its blend of medical detail, moral unease and addiction.

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